


Wake-Up Call

by yarnandtea



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, Venko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarnandtea/pseuds/yarnandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James hears a strange sound upon waking and goes to investigate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wake-Up Call

**Author's Note:**

  * For [honeybee592](https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybee592/gifts).



> honeybee592 prompted me with: Kaidan gets James a puppy. 
> 
> I couldn't resist. Pure fluff.

James woke to the sound of barking. It was quickly muffled though, and he disregarded the noise, rolling over in bed and burrowing under the blankets without even bothering to open his eyes. He stretched out an arm, reaching for the bed's other occupant, but no one was there. He patted around the empty space, finding the sheets containing no trace of body warmth. He cracked one eye open just to confirm what he already knew. Kaidan was gone. Pale sunlight filtered in through the curtains over the windows, James didn't think it was long after dawn.

_Must have gotten up early to pick apples_ , he thought with a chuckle. James rolled onto his back and stretched, a sleepy smile settling on his face as he debated on whether to get up and go look for Kaidan or just stay in bed for a while longer. There was another hushed bout of barking and this time James frowned. _K's mom doesn't have a dog._

He was more awake now, more aware of his surroundings. Barking was a common sound at their place in Rio. Lots of folks liked to take their dogs for walks or runs along the beach in the mornings. But here at the orchard, there was no immediate explanation for it. They were in the middle of nowhere, the nearest neighbor miles away. Mrs. Alenko kept a few sheep, and some horses, but no dogs. James couldn't think of any reason for why he was hearing barking. As he listened it came again, and once more it was hurriedly shushed up.

Curious now, and suspecting that something was up, James threw back the blanket and got out of bed. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt (too tight, must be Kaidan's) and then opened the door, careful to keep it quiet. He crept along the hall with all of the stealth he could muster, careful to avoid the squeaky step on his way down, and made his way toward the kitchen. He could hear soft voices talking and laughing as he got closer.

He could also hear panting, and something that sounded sort of like growling, only dialed back about eleven notches, as well as something clicking on the wooden floors. He stopped at the corner and peeked around the edge, jaw dropping at what he saw. Mrs. Alenko was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, smiling as she watched Kaidan. He was sitting on the floor with a short length of rope in his hand, playing with something that looked like nothing so much as a fluffy sausage with legs.

"What is _that_?" he blurted out. Mrs. Alenko looked up at him and her grin widened. James thought she was trying not to laugh.

"She's a dachshund," Kaidan said, glancing up with a grin of his own.

Noticing the newcomer, the puppy dropped the rope she'd been trying to pull out of Kaidan's hand and turned for James. Her claws click-clacked against the floor as she ran, her reddish brown ears flopping around so wildly that James was afraid she might trip over them. Instinct kicked in and he swooped down to pick her up, holding her in front of his face and shooting confused looks at Kaidan and his mom. The puppy gave a happy bark and took advantage of his distraction to lean forward and lick James' nose. He blinked and stretched out his arms to hold her father away. She scrabbled at the air with her paws trying to get closer to him.

He set her back down on the floor and gave her a gentle pat on the head. She barked again and began sniffing around his feet. James glanced up again and looked first at Kaidan, then at his mom. "You decide you wanted a dog, Mrs. A?"

"Oh no," Mrs. Alenko laughed. "She's all yours James."

"Happy birthday!" Kaidan chimed in, adding to James' confusion.

"It's not my birthday for another month," he pointed out.

"Well I know that," Kaidan said, rising from the floor. "But Mrs. Olsen down the road told me the other day that her dog just had a litter, and that they'd be ready to go to new homes before we left for Rio again. It seemed like the perfect opportunity. Besides," his brow drew down in annoyance, "I'm gonna be out on assignment on your actual birthday. I was going to have to give you your gift early anyway."

"Okay..." James glanced down and met a pair of large, liquid dark eyes. The puppy yipped hopefully. He sighed and picked her up again, cradling her against his chest but careful to hold her out of licking range. "But why a puppy?"

Kaidan let out a low laugh and leaned forward to kiss James' cheek. He glanced down and grinned, scratching her ears. "You think I haven't noticed the way you've been looking at all the dogs that go by our place lately? You've been thinking about getting one for a while now. Or you've at least been thinking about thinking about it."

"I--" James stopped himself and glanced down at the puppy, then back up at Kaidan. It was true, the idea _had_ been starting to form in his head. Now that he teaching at N school, and not running around the galaxy as much, it was seeming more and more like something he might want to do. He hadn't realized that Kaidan had been coming to the same conclusion though. He let out a soft laugh and shook his head. _Trust K to know what I'm thinking before I even realize I'm thinking it_. The puppy shifted in his arms, burrowing up against him and getting comfortable. "Hey, she is pretty cute, huh?" He glanced up and leaned over to kiss Kaidan. "Thanks," he said.

"Thought you'd like her," Kaidan said.

James set her down on the floor and knelt beside her, holding her eyes. She stared back up at him and then inched forward, nosing the rope over toward his hand. James laughed and picked it up, and she lunged for it, causing him to laugh again. "Yeah," he said, tugging on the rope as she tugged right back, "I think she and I will get along just fine."


End file.
